Mr. Sandman
by Scarlet Scarlet of the Wind
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto. There is also one small refrence to Spongebob Squarepants, which I don't own either. If I did own it, I wouldn't be on here, writing this.
"Gaara...she's going to sleep."
"Father Time-sama, I really don't want to sing to Mindy...if I do, I'll scare her!"
"You have a beautiful voice," Father Time insisted.
"Oh yeah?" He then began singing, "Twinkle, twinkle," his voice cracked, "Little STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR - !"
"Well, Mindy likes your singing," Father Time interrupted, holding his eardrum. Dang...that guy's got a seriously horrible voice on him... "Besides, every girl wants a Kazekage to sing for her!"
"Well, this Kazekage ain't doing it!"
"Gaara..." Father Time's tone got serious, "If Mindy doesn't fall asleep TONIGHT, I have grounds to fire you. It's been three weeks, Gaara. The child needs sleep."
"I can get a new job!" Gaara protested.
"Not one that pays seven-hundred yen an hour!"
"There are ways!"
"What? To threaten them with sand? You can't get much with a ninja's education, not to mention a bad reputation like yours..."
"Whatever...but you've got a point there..."
"Mm-hmm..." Father Time nodded, "Tonight, Gaara - Mindy sleeps."
Without a reply, Gaara stormed out, grumbling an incoherent string of profanities. Father time smirked, satisfied.
"Heh, heh, heh..." He cackled, "If he only knew I was paying him in bubble money!" His cackles echoed off the walls, multiplying in sound.
(--)
That night, Gaara appeared inside Mindy's bedroom in a flurry of sand.
"Gaara! You're back!" She smiled, jumping up from her bed and glomping him.
Gaara tried to pride the giddy eight-year-old off of him. "Get off..." he growled.
"I can't help it!" Mindy responded truthfully, "You're SO cute!" She held onto him even tighter. "I don't wanna let go of you, Ga-chan!"
"I have a nickname?" Gaara asked.
"Do you like it?" Mindy asked, with enthusiasm, childlike hope smeared across her face.
No, Gaara thought. "Yes, I like it very much," he lied unconvincingly.
"Yay!" Mindy rejoiced, not being able to tell what was convincing and what was not.
"It's time for you to go to sleep, though, Mindy..." Gaara finally pried the little girl off of him, and laid her in her bed.
And then...she asked the forbidden question. "Can you sing me a lullaby?"
No way, Gaara growled.
Remember what I said, Father Time reminded darkly in his head.
Gaara sighed heavily. Stupid, friggin' telepathy... "What do you want to hear?"
"Sing Brahms' Lullaby, Ga-chan!" Mindy smiled.
"Fine," Gaara agreed, then cleared his throat, prepared for utter humiliation. "Lulla-BYYYYYY, and good NIIIIIIIGHT, with soft ROSES around you. Slumber SWEETLY in the MOOOONLIIIGHHHT, close your eyes now and DREEEEEAMMMM! Lay thee DOWN now and REST, may thy slumber be BLEST, lay the DOWN now and REST, may thy slumber be BLLLEEEESSSSTTTT..."
Mindy stared at him in shock, her crystal blue eyes frozen with awe. Gaara thought that maybe some tears would formulate and she'd start crying uncontrollably.
The Kazekage shrugged. "Well, what'd you expect?" He asked nonchalantly.
"That. Was. AWESOME!!" Mindy screamed, clapping. She jumped up, glomping him again. "Ga-chan, you're such a great singer!!"
Gaara sighed, happy that his little 'performance' was over. "Thank you," he said flatly, "But you need to sleep."
"Can you stay with me? Pleeeeeease?"
No, Gaara thought.
Yes. Do it or you're fired, Father Time growled in response.
"Yes," Gaara echoed lamentfully, pulling up a small chair from her little vanity. "Now..."
He took his gourd off his back, took a pinch of sand, and sprinkled it in Mindy's closed eyes.
"My Ga-chan..." she murmured in her sleep, smiling, holding the Gaara plushie close to her heart.
Gaara harrumphed, picked up his gourd and disappeared in an array of sand.
(--)
"So, how was your night with Mindy?"
"Never use those words in that order again."
"Fine. Mindy with night your was how, so?"
Gaara sighed, "I sang terribly."
"But she loved it!" Father Time encouraged, "She's sleeping, isn't she?"
"Whatever," Gaara said dismally, and walked away, plopping down on a sofa, flicking on the television and laughing at how immature Naruto is.
A/N: So...what do you think? This was a spur-of-the-moment idea. It may be a one-shot or it may evolve...you never know. Ciao for now, peeps.
